OpenBuildings™ Designer Help

Mechanical Systems

The Mechanical Systems ribbon contains placement tools associated with the HVAC discipline.


The following tool groups allow placing individual Mechanical Systems component, fitting, and devices in the drawing. The workflow adopts the Unified Placement interface where shape, types and variances of the selected group are selectable before placing.

  • / /(Rect/Round/Oval Duct) — Duct is a component type with unique properties and behaviors. Duct is selected first when creating ventilation routes in a building project.
  • //(Rect/Round/Oval Duct Fittings) — Duct fittings group is variety of Mechanical fittings essential to route a standard ductwork of HVAC system.
  • (Diffusers) — Diffuser group provides a set of terminal fittings essential to accomplish a route in HVAC system that includes grilles, diffusers and plenum.
  • (Equipment) — The Equipment group provides HVAC equipments used in condensation and cooling.
  • (AHU) — The AHU Builder utility allows creating libraries of customized Air handling Units and they can be placed individually.
  • (Fan) — Several fans included in the Fan group are axial fans, centrifugal, motorized, single speed and exhaust fans.
  • (Inline Device) — Inline devices comprise dampers including fire dampers, silencer, and baseboard heater.
  • (Room Emitter) — Room Emitters include a range of radiators and convectors and heat exchanger assemblies like chilled beams, as well as the room heaters like electric base board.
  • (Device Hookup) — The hookup tool automatically connects disconnected components in a route using best fit rigid or flex components.
  • (Insulate Route) — The insulation / lining settings enables setting insulation and lining symbology to specified system components in selected paths of a route.
  • (System ID ) — The utility to assign and manager numbering scheme and viewing of System ID to route components of selected path of a system.